


C'mon now

by Ex-Genesis (orphan_account)



Category: Disney RPF
Genre: Angst, Dancing, Incest, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-26
Updated: 2010-06-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 15:55:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/492985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/Ex-Genesis
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Joe's twentieth birthday, so after the concert, they do something a little different - going to a club. At first the music starts out just the way they wanted, but then it changes, and Nick and Joe are left with a problem. Music is their life. They express themselves through instruments and singing. But sometimes they think music expresses itself through them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	C'mon now

Winding down usually consisted of guitars being quietly played, strings picked at, paper crumpling beneath slightly shaky hands, and pen caps being chewed upon and then spit half way across the bus at a target. Music was their life. There were rare moments they took a break from it, but it was still in their blood. They couldn't get rid of the half-formed verses, the chords, the calluses permanently scratched into their fingertips, if they wanted to. Luckily they didn't, not yet.  
  
Tonight they wanted to something a little differently though. It was a Saturday. They were in New Orleans. And Joe had just turned 20 a few hours earlier. They wouldn't be getting into any twenty-one and over clubs, though they probably could have persuaded any body guard from any club in Louisiana. All they wanted was a DJ who would play music they had never heard before, that they could dance to. Nick wanted it to feel exciting, special, like Joe had gotten to actually celebrate his birthday.  
  
For weeks now, Joe had been a little depressed because of the break up. Camilla had left him, mysterious responses as to why. He had honestly never treated anyone as good as he had treated her, so he was confused. Not only that, but he genuinely cared about her, and it had seemed like those feelings were returned, right up until the very moment she had told him softly that she 'couldn't do this anymore.' Joe had even been understanding after, not jumping down her throat, but quietly asking her if she would be willing to explain her decision. She looked so sorry as she shook her head no, and Joe had merely nodded, giving her a hug that may have torn him apart, and left.  
  
At first, he hadn't talked to anyone about it. Nick didn't even find out, officially, that it had happened until two days later, but he had known the second Joe got home, but decided to give his brother time. Then for maybe a week after, he had closed himself off from most everyone. He just needed to be able to think, and breathe, and know, remember that he was able to live on his own. It was like clockwork though, as if he had told himself, 'Seven days Joe. Seven days from the time she decided to leave you, told you, and you can go back to being you. But for seven days, don't - just don't do anything, okay?'  
  
He was a really determined person, able to do anything he set his mind to. The only time people got in his way was when he really hadn't cared that much to begin with, or he thought he might hurt someone else along the way. But once a week had passed... It was like he was growing off of Nick. Where ever Nick was, Joe was, probably hanging off of his arm, or at least with an arm wrapped around his shoulder. People were mostly used to it, but this was the first time the touching had seriously been non-stop. The part that really struck people, though, was the fact that Nick was touching right back, all the time, letting himself actually enjoy the contact. It was as if Nick had been freed from a cage the night that Camilla had dumped Joe, and he hated to say it, but this was the happiest he had been in months. He just wanted Joe to get to that place too, as soon as possible.  
  
"Hey, Joe." Nick stopped Joe from walking through the doors to the club, stiffening his arm against his side which had Joe's hand wrapped around it. Joe turned around, his fluid movement becoming rocky as he fell back a step. Cocking his head to the side a little, looking into Nick's eyes, he questioned what the problem was. His little brother just took his free arm, wrapped it over his shoulder and pulled him into a close hug, nodding his head down a little to whisper a most sincere happy birthday to his older brother.  
  
Softly knocking the side of his head into the side of Nick's head, Joe gave a thank you using a different version of something they'd done together for years. A lot of things were changing; Joe wanted to make sure that it would all be for the better. He was twenty now, a real adult, not just by law, but by the mind set of the country he grew up in. Twenty said a lot about him before he ever spoke, ever even looked at someone, and he wanted to make sure that whatever it said about him, he lived up to it. The truth was, he was scared. He hadn't wanted this birthday to come. Now that it was here though, he was determined to at least make it real, if nothing else.  
  
Pulling back a few inches, Joe smiled, not sure himself whether or not it was completely genuine, before pulling on Nick's arm, forcing them into the club that was all flashing and neon lights, with an abundance of darkness every few feet.  
  
Immediately Kevin separated from them. Not that it mattered to either of them anyway, because they never noticed him when he was there unless they were shaking their heads at him like he was some kind of disgrace. On the contrary, Nick and Joe always noticed when Kevin left, always worried, always felt their footing and grip on life slide a little, because in front of everyone, Kevin was this rock of stability, but deep down, they knew and understood that they had done this to him themselves. They knew they were at fault for all of his doubts about being loved. They knew that at some point they should have made a decision to be proud of him, and tell him, instead of staying silent until his faults came out. But they didn't. And they didn't know how to fix it, so they just left it alone.  
  
Nick watched wary-eyed as Kevin strolled over to a group of girls. He was always... faithful to Danielle, in the sense he never had sex with anyone else. But he'd never had sex with her either, so really, wasn't it the same as cheating if he kissed other girls the way he kissed her? Took their hands between his palms, rubbing lightly until their pulses quickened at his fingertips? Guided them to the dance floor with his hand at the small of their back, slipping dangerously low? Whispering into their ears like they were the only one who existed? Nick and Joe thought so. But Kevin only did this at times when there wasn't a light clearly pointing him out to the world. And he only did it when there was a group of girls who all wanted attention, who were obviously willing to share, didn't mind being teased, lived for it actually.  
  
No one would have guessed it, but Kevin was the technical 'slut' of their group, of their family.  
  
Sighing and turning back to Joe, who was also watching Kevin with a sad smile on his face, Nick placed his hand flat over Joe's chest, and pulled his attention back to himself. "He'll be okay. He always is. Just... Have fun tonight, okay?" Joe nodded, agreeing, and then slowly let a smile slip onto his face, this time a real one. He was pretty lucky to have Nick, and he was at a cool club, had just played a pretty awesome show, and had been cheered over by tons of people. Life was okay. No, life was good.  
  
The song switched over, and immediately it was as if the boys switched off the button in their brains that allowed them to worry too much. It became as if everything was perfectly okay, and they started dancing. At first, they tried to stay on beat, coming up with some decent moves between the two of them, sometimes copying each other, one reaching over and showing how to do it just a little bit better. After a few more songs though, great songs, that made them smile as if they were the ones who had created it, they were dancing like they didn't care at all, like anyone who actually saw them and cared that they looked like idiots could go suck an egg, because they were having fun. Together.  
  
Personal space wasn't exactly an issue, if it had ever really been. Nick pretended not to like it, but everyone could tell he did. The fact that he was hanging all over Joe now made it even less of an issue when they were virtually alone. Dancing though, required some space, or they'd both be going home with bruises everywhere. Somehow, though, they managed to keep very close together. They danced with the people around them, of course, but they were only really aware of where the other was at all times.  
  
Nick had turned. A girl with a pixie cut, red hair, he could tell, when a flash of light caught it through the moving, bobbing heads, was facing him, and he was actually starting to dance normal again, like it counted. He saw a smile flicker over her face just before the music changed. It was no longer the light, breathy music that he felt care-free dancing to. His body slowed automatically, as he took in the sound, turning back to Joe who was still dancing like his life depended on it, his body starting to move along with the music, matching its rythym.  
  
That wasn't a problem. Joe was a good dancer and Nick was amazed that he could just change frequency like that. But the music had a heavy, ragid feel to it, the drums setting a beat that controlled everything else, everyone in the club. Even he was beginning to move along with it despite his slight discomfort. He realized why when the heat in the room went up a significant five degrees more, and bodies started closing in on each other, and suddenly Joe was just right - there, right on him. He didn't ever mind when Joe was like another limb, but this was different.  
  
Unable to continue breathing normally, feeling his chest heave a little, he glanced around, and sure enough Kevin was grinding with the three girls he had approached earlier. Nick looked back at Joe and quickly realized that Joe was putting the same moves on him. Quickly, acting on instinct, Nick reached out to stop Joe, but instead of pushing Joe away by the chest, or pulling him to the side, gripping his arm, he put his hand firmly at the side of Joe's waist, which coincidentally brought him even closer, and Nick was starting to forget what he had been trying to do in the first place.  
  
Joe's eyes were closed. He was so into the music, like someone had infused the song, the tempo into gun powder and released it into his blood stream to melt into his system. He hardly knew what he was doing anymore, just that he was dancing, and it felt perfect, like everything he needed was already inside of him, in this atmosphere. The distance between Nick and himself was getting shorter, but it wasn't as if he hadn't been pressed against his little brother for the past two weeks anyway. He didn't think of this being any different until Nick placed a hand on his hip, and his eyes shot open, and Nick was giving him the most intense look he'd ever seen.  
  
It just happened. Without thought. Without anything in particular nudging them towards it. Nick and Joe brought their faces closer to each other, just barely pressing their lips together, but holding there for what felt like a life time. His body stopped moving, Joe finally realized, and pulled away from the kiss leaving Nick standing there, his hand held out in mid air grasping at nothing, his face perfect, not a crease of worry or doubt anywhere.  
  
Then Nick opened his eyes, looked straight at Joe, and when he nodded, Nick took another step forward, bringing Joe back into his space, so that he had none, wrapped his arm around Joe's waist in an awkward, yet comfortable hug, and bent his mouth closer to Joe's ear so that he could hear over the infectious music that was still heavy above them, making them breathe harder against each other, Joe twisting his fingers in Nick's cotton tee. "We need to talk about this first." Joe nodded in agreement, giving Nick a confident smile, his dark eyes somehow sending a spark through the darkness. "Ice cream?" Because seriously... they needed to cool off.   
  
In response, Joe took Nick's arm from around his waist, but held his hand, pulling him to where Kevin was absolutely losing it with those girls, complete strangers. "C'mon, Kev. We're going for ice cream." Joe's voice was sure, powerful over the music. Steady for the first time since Camilla had broken up with him. Nick had to give a proud smile at that, sticking his other hand out, balling it into a fist in front of Joe's stomach, and without even having to look down, Joe fist-bumped him, causing Nick to laugh softly.  
  
Kevin stopped his movements slowly, prying away from the girls who took to dancing against each other instead. He gave Nick and Joe a slightly disappointed look, and then a curious one, and then one that said, 'Duh. I'll go wherever you guys want. Let's just get out of here before I really start to get attached to this place.' Even though they all knew that Kevin never got attached to anything, nor did he ever miss anything. Nick and Joe, they weren't even sure he missed any _one_ . If he did, they believed it was probably himself he missed the most.  
  
The three of them left the club behind, walking out to the car, Kevin one step behind and to the left about two feet. Joe never dropped Nick's hand; Nick couldn't wipe that stupid grin off his face. Kevin never questioned it.


End file.
